Visual Arts Therapy DIY: “It’s always helpful to first make
a decision. Today I will use paint, or today I will use magic markers, and then choose a theme. What do I feel? Is it anxiety? Imagine a color that expresses your anxiety, and create an image or composition in this particular color. You might understand your feelings better, and thus you might be able to relieve some of your anxiety.” – Dr. Esther Dreiffus-Kattan, PhD, Art Therapist, Psychoanalyst, and “The Healing Through Art Group” Facilitator at the Simms/ Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology
HOW IT WORKS: Visual arts therapy uses the process of creation and imagination as a means of symbolic communication to allow the release of emotions and inner conflicts. Through the use of art tools, this approach aims to help art therapy clients maintain emotional and mental well-being by releasing underlying thoughts and gaining a better understanding of themselves and their relationships. Ho says, “The process of art creation is both individualized and metaphorical; you are literally drawing your subconscious.” Dr. Esther Dreifuss-Kattan, PhD, art therapist, psychoanalyst, and psycho-oncologist at the Pediatric Pain Program, became interested in art therapy for cancer patients after a friend she attended art school with was diagnosed with leukemia. For nine years, Dr. Dreifuss-Kattan has worked as a Group Facilitator for “The Healing Through Art Group”, a workshop at the Simms/Mann UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology, and continues to do so today, along with her private practice in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica. Dr. Dreifuss-Kattan says, “Doing any creative work is in itself a healing. You focus on a creative activity, it takes your mind off of other stressors, and you have a painting you can be proud of. When you work with an art therapist, you can learn something about yourself. You certainly learn more about what’s going on than if you just talk.” Dr. Dreifuss-Kattan believes that art therapy is especially effective because as opposed to verbal communication, imagery and sensory perception are employed immediately upon birth and represent a very early stage of communication. “Through the arts, patients don’t realize that they’re expressing their feelings and thoughts. Once the image is projected on the paper one slowly can talk about these feelings and conflicts. Together with the art therapist the client then learns to understand and interpret his or her pictures and sometimes then talk about them, such as tensions within the family, about their depression or other conflicts that may surface in the artistic expression,” Dr. Dreifuss-Kattan says. A study in 2007 published in Psycho-Oncology discovered that weekly art therapy sessions improved depression and fatigue levels in cancer patients on chemotherapy. Also, a 2009 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that groups who received art therapy intervention were significantly more likely to have improved clinical outcomes, including better vital signs, diminished cortisol levels related to stress, and less medication needed to induce sleep.
Art therapy includes drawing, sculpture, painting,
collage and photography.
Relevant website: www.arttherapy.org
Writing Therapy total wellness ▪ winter 2011
word, writing therapy aims to release pent-up tension and emotions by instilling a sense of resolution, self-control, and understanding of a situation. Writing a poem, story, or excerpt about a traumatic or stress-inducing experience enables the writer to formulate his or her personal emotions into a thoughtful, structured narrative, and therefore gain perspective about their problems. In a 2006 meta-analysis study of writing therapy, Dr. Joanne Frattaroli, PhD, from the Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, simplifies the effects of writing therapy into three main theories:
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1. Inhibition theory: The inhibition of thoughts and feelings in regards to a stressful event is harmful and expression of those feelings can reduce stress and improve a host of psychological health needs. This is also
bruce lonngren/istockphoto
HOW IT WORKS: Using the skill of processing the written